New tonic for old gin

Even though the sun never set on the British Empire, somewhere it was always over the yardarm, the signal for loyal subj

Even though the sun never set on the British Empire, somewhere it was always over the yardarm, the signal for loyal subjects around the globe to quench their thirst with gin while partaking of their daily dose of antimalarial quinine, the bitter ingredient in tonic.

But how on earth did a juniper-based alcoholic liquid become so quintessentially British, when in fact it was created by the Dutch? If gin sounds faintly medicinal, it's only right; it was developed in the 17th century by a Dutch doctor seeking a cure for kidney disorders. Later, it became the drink of the British working class. It was only in the mid-19th century that gin was able to shake off its middle class moorings and become the favour of the upper classes.

Legend has it that English mercenaries, while fighting the French along with the Dutch in the Netherlands, would drink the potent Dutch Genever, as it was called, before battle. Doing so, they found they had extra energy to charge and fight; that is possibly where the term 'Dutch courage' comes from.

The rest is history, as they say. The Brits became addicted to this Genever and, since they could not pronounce the word easily, changed the name to gin. Apparently, in the late 1750s, Londoners consumed 50 million litres of gin a year. With a population of 700,000, this translated to 70-plus litres a year per resident, including children. In parts of London such as Gin Lane, these spirit shops accounted for one in four buildings. Gin became known as the poor man's drink; everywhere in London signs invited passersby: "Drunk for 1 penny, Dead drunk for tuppence, Straw for nothing". Gin was the opium of the people and acquired numerous monikers-Mothers ruin was one of the more immoderate!

By the mid 1800s, gin's appeal slowly scaled up the social ladder and it became the preferred drink of her majesty's troupes. The birth of gin and tonic in 1870 India, to protect the foreigners from malaria, was one of the more romantic tales. Winston Churchill, a devoted fan of the beverage, once said, "The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen's lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire."

History has it that the first European ever to be cured from malarial fever was the wife of the Spanish Viceroy, the Countess of Chinchon, while living in South America. The court physician was summoned and urged to save the countess from the fever and chill threatening her life, but all efforts failed to relieve her. At last the physician administered a medicine that he had obtained from the local Indians, who had been using it to treat similar symptoms. The countess survived and reportedly brought the medicine-which turned out to be the cinchona (the plant from which quinine is extracted)-bark back with her to Europe in the 1640s.

But it was only with the arrival of cocktails in the 1800s, that good times were stirred up for gin and its imbibers. The Hot Gin punch, which Charles Dickens drunk in London's gin houses in the mid 1850s, is part of literary lore.

The story of the Ramos Gin Fizz, an ancestor of the Tom Collins, sizzles too. Invented in New Orleans in 1888, by Henry C. Ramos, the cocktail created quite a stir-literally. In order to make this specific cocktail, the bar had to employ a dozen boys to stand in two lines of six just to keep shaking the cocktail. Why? Simply because the main ingredients of this recipe, besides gin, included egg white, cream orange flower water and fresh lemon juice. Fot these ingredients to be mixed perfectly, the cocktail had to be shaken for at least five minutes without stopping. That would bring the concoction to its perfect shape via an emulsion and enable it to be served correctly as a fluffy drink which the bar was famous for. The trick was to only stop shaking once the ice in the shaker stopped making a noise. Try it yourself and see. Mix a large measure of Hendrick's gin, a dash of orange flower water, dash of sugar, one egg white, a dash of fresh lemon juice with a big handful of ice cubes. Shake non-stop until all the ice has melted. Then pour the contents of the shaker into a high ball glass and enjoy a 122-year-old cocktail.

The recipe travelled to New York courtesy Louisiana governor Huey Long's fondness for it. In July 1935, Long brought a bartender called Sam Guarino from New Orleans' Roosevelt Hotel to the New Yorker Hotel in New York City to show the staff there how to make the cocktail, so he could have it whenever he was there.

So you see, gin was now using the cocktail culture as a way of transportation. With politicians and diplomats traversing the world, once a cocktail became popular in New York it inevitably found its way to Paris and London, and vice versa. Once the exclusive members' clubs in London served Gin Martinis, that became the gentleman's tipple of choice. The golden epoch of gin saw America flaunting Gimlets, Gin Fizzes and Singapore Slings to the world as the more sophisticated potentialities of civilised pleasures.

Vodka hit Hollywood hard in the 1950s and, together with clever marketing, and dollops of cash, convinced the movie mogul set to endorse this non-flavoured spirit. Suddenly Vodka was the star of the show and gin was on the decline. James Bond may not have been the first to down a Vodka Martini, but he was the most visible characters in the move from gin to vodka, which reached its peak in the 1990s.

But this scenario discounted the virtuosi of the spirit world: the bartenders. More often than not, it's the best bars around the world and their star bartenders that make or break liquid trends. Consider the Paris Experimental Cocktail Club, New York PDT, San Francisco Alembic, Boston Drink, London Hix, Edinburgh Bramble, Hamburg Le Lion, Tokyo High Five, Melbourne 1806, Barcelona Boadas. Well, it was their maestros who got bored with vodka and its "tasteless flavour"-or so sing the legends of the fall-and decided to get back to the essentials, aka gin.

In these last ten years, the big bars have slowly de-listed more and more vodka to only stock the minimum but seem to have developed an avid interest in gin. Even in the late 1990s, the best bars would be showcasing some 10 to 15 vodkas on their back bar with three to five gins languishing alongside. Today, enter the best watering holes in New York City, Mumbai, London, Sydney, San Francisco, Delhi or Shanghai and you'll find two to four vodkas versus 10 to 15 gins.

Yes, vodka remains the fastest-growing spirit category but, remember, gin has been a part of the world drinking culture since the mid 1600s while vodka arrived in the West only in the 1950s. What is especially intriguing is that the new gin lovers are not to be found among the masses; it's the premium segment of the category that is clipping ahead. So listen to the bartender when he recommends a great new gin instead of the unusual vodka tonic; these are the guys on the cutting edge. Besides, vodka is so Nineties; gin is the new vodka.

In Japan, bartenders keep it in the freezer, in England, chefs cook with it. Meanwhile, new signature serves keep evolving. If Tanqueray does it with the grapefruit peel, Hendrick's cucumber kick keeps it unique.

Not that all gin fans are new converts. There's a charming story about England's Queen Mother. While on an engagement at which her majesty was supposed to be offered a cup of tea, her host blurted out: "I hear you like gin". Without hesitation, the Queen Mum said, "I hadn't realised I enjoyed that reputation. But as I do, perhaps you could make it a large one". The lady may be dead, but the spirit lives on.

(The author is Global Brand Ambassador, Hendrick's Gin)

Tipple tattle

Gin is drunk in many different ways, neat or on ice, or as a mixer in many cocktails. In Japan, bartenders keep it in the freezer; in England, chefs cook with it. And now, it is all about signature serves. If Tanqueray does it with the grapefruit peel, Hendrick's definitely keeps it unusual with the cucumber while London Dry Gin recommends the use of a lime or lemon for the legendary gin and tonic. Whatever the palate choice, here are some weighty issues that must be kept in mind while putting a gin to test:

Whiff: This is the experience that occurs when inhaling the aroma surrounding an opened bottle. The neat plop of a cork being freed enhances the 'whiff' substantially.

{mosimage}Tinkle: Watch out for both the sound and the play of light as the gin is poured into a glass. A graceful technique can exalt the tinkle to new heights.

Kick: The initial tasting, when the notes of the flavour begin to unravel. Usage: "I say, old bean, this little number kicks a smidgeon beedy barkit wi' a rather marvellous birl, eh?"

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